A Second Chance at Love

Above Suspicion

Chapter 3

Parker’s POV

I waited for over ten minutes under that desk, listening to the sounds of the party continuing downstairs. I couldn’t move. The anguish I felt knowing I was the reason my parents were killed weighed heavily on me. I had caused this. All because I fell in love with a lie. The first handsome man who approached me, and I immediately lost all sense of self. We had nothing in common. Nothing to bind us together, yet all I could think about was opposites attract. I thought our love for each other was real until I saw him with Brandie.

Now it all clicked. I remember hearing whispers when I passed classmates back in college. People seemed shocked about Nolan and Brandie breaking up. They felt I couldn’t compete against her, and I guess they were right. I’ve never felt compelled to dress up. I usually wear my hair in a ponytail, just like tonight. The only similarity between us back then was that she had brown hair, just like me. I had only seen her from a distance back then.

I never had a reason to suspect she would be allowed back into our lives, especially after we got married. I thought we were happy together. Nolan had to be an excellent actor to have fooled me like this. But looking back, I wanted him so badly that I was willing to ignore all the warning signs. I thought the way he made love to me was special. He treated me well, but seeing the passion between them, I know it for what it was now. He could barely stand to touch me. Our kisses were not the same, and he always closed his eyes when he came during s*x. I guess he had to think about her just to get off with me.

My shame was complete at that realization. Everything I believed had been a lie. The only thing I could do now was learn to be as good a liar as he was while I got everything set up. I didn’t care what I had to do. My parents deserved justice. I wouldn’t let them get a dime off of me. I already knew what my next steps would be. I was always dismissed and underestimated. I no longer wanted or needed him in my life. I could see things clearly now, and first thing tomorrow, I would set my plan in action. I just need to make sure that when they caught me up here, they didn’t suspect a thing.

It should be easy to do. I've let Nolan control every aspect of our lives. He believed that I was a complete pushover, but he was wrong. I had been a woman in love, and he reaped the benefits of my affection because of that. I wasn’t weak or stupid. I won’t be making the same mistake twice. They’ve made an enemy of me. The fact that they think I’m naïve will play in my favour. I’ll keep them from bleeding me dry, and God forbid, killing me. Then I will make sure they get what’s coming to them. Brandie was just as much a part of this as Nolan was. I won’t be letting her off the hook. Anyone involved in the death of my parents is going to pay.

I already knew they were looking for me. So, I calmed myself down and headed for the washroom near the top of the stairs. If I showed them fear, they would realize I knew and deal with me. I can’t let that happen. My parents’ deaths need to be avenged, even at the risk of my life. I had brought him into our family. This entire situation was unknowingly my fault. I also want to know who tipped her off and told her who I was. They were the ones who got this ball rolling. If not for them, none of this would have ever happened.

It was too risky to go downstairs. I knew they were probably on high alert now, so I changed tactics. I knew it was a matter of time before I was found. I wasn’t going to let them suspect anything, at least not yet. I need them to catch me up here and play along. I didn’t have to wait long.

The minute the door slammed open, I flushed the toilet. I took my time before coming out. I remained calm and acted surprised when I saw Nolan standing in the doorway.

“Why are you in the women's room, Nolan?” I asked.

“Where have you been?” he angrily asked as he stepped closer to me. I could see Brandie standing in the doorway, with Ricky right behind her. I didn’t know if he was a part of this or not, so it was best to act as if they were all in on it.

“I went to use the bathroom downstairs, but it was occupied, so I came up here. I didn’t think you would go into a full-blown panic over it,” I replied as I went to wash my hands. I dried them and then walked over to him. I placed my hand on his chest, right over his heart and asked, “Why? Were you worried about me? I'm fine. It’s been a while since I’ve been around so many people, but I’m hanging in there. No need to worry about me. I’m just going to go back to where I was sitting. I’m just trying to stay out of the way. I don’t want to cause you any issues. I know how stressed you are to make this new development a success. Why else would you be working so late each night?”

I leaned up and gave him a kiss on his jaw. He was too stunned to avoid it, and I took great pleasure in watching Brandie’s mouth tighten at the sight of it. There was no way that I would ever allow him to kiss me again, not after seeing him kissing her like she was his world. My stomach rolled in revolt at even kissing his cheek, but I had to act normally in front of them. Nolan searched my eyes, looking to see if I was lying, before he smiled down at me.

“I was worried about you, Parker. I couldn’t find you, and I thought you might be overwhelmed. I know this was a big ask for you to be here tonight. I feel bad that you were upset earlier. I should have let you change your dress, and that’s on me. I knew you were upset about it, which is why you snapped at my secretary earlier. I just wanted you to enjoy the evening. I hate that we got off to a bad start,” he replied, hugging me to his side.

I hate the feeling of his hands on me, but I accepted the hug. I had to play along. I would be lying if I didn’t admit that the added benefit of pissing Brandie off made me happy. Time to really set her off.

“I’m feeling much better, Nolan. I think coming here tonight has helped. It's made me realize that I need to get back out again. I think being holed up at home kept me from getting past the loss of my parents. I’m glad you threw this party. I think I’ll get out and run a few errands myself tomorrow,” I told him.

He relaxed even more, but Brandie looked like she was going to break a tooth with how hard she was gritting her teeth.

“Just how long have you been up here, Parker? No one saw you come up. What have you been doing up here all alone this whole time?” Brandie asked. It was obvious that she was trying to get Nolan upset again.

“What do you mean, no one saw me come up here? I wasn’t hiding, and I doubt someone was watching me. What would be the purpose of doing that? I’m not important. I just needed to use the restroom. I didn’t realize I wasn’t allowed to come up here. Nolan, did you hide my Christmas gift in your office? Is that what she’s worried about? I only came up to use the restroom, but if my gift is up here, I wouldn’t say no to getting it early,” I teased him.

Now he was on the spot. I always made it easy on him by buying all the presents. I had what I needed, so I always made a big production when he gave me anything. Since we got married, he hasn’t given me anything. Not for my birthday, or our anniversaries, or Christmas. I should have thought about this sooner. No wonder my parents caught on quicker to the problem than I did. I always defended him when my mother asked what he bought me. No wonder he was always broke. Brandie was bleeding him dry.

The diamond teardrop necklace around Brandie’s neck was very flashy. I would have never thought that Nolan would be bold enough to buy her something like that. I know for certain that he was behind all of her gifts. She always liked to show her new jewelry off whenever I came to the office, and now I know why. The matching earrings caught the light as her head snapped to look at Nolan. She definitely didn’t want him to buy me anything, but I had painted him into a corner. He was going to have to buy me something now, whether he wanted to or not. I decided to make things more difficult for him.

“I wish I had something like what Ms. Talbert has on. Those earrings are absolutely gorgeous. What size are they? I bet they're two carats each, to match the necklace, right? You’re a very lucky lady,” I said wistfully as I stared at the set.

Brandie's mouth dropped opened and then snapped shut as she tried to think of something to say, but came up empty. I'm going to have a forensic auditor go through our personal and business accounts with a fine-tooth comb to see just how much he’s syphoned out just to spend on her over the years. Anything he spent during our marriage, I was going to get back.

“I haven’t wrapped it up yet, Parker. I’m glad you didn’t see it. It would have spoiled the surprise,” Nolan said with an easygoing smile.

“I will love anything you give me, Nolan. You know how much I love you,” I answered with a soft smile. My voice sounded normal, but saying those words cost me dearly. I used to love him, but I loathe him now. I almost slipped up on the words as I spoke.

“Let’s go back downstairs and enjoy ourselves,” Nolan said as he avoided eye contact with Brandie.

The fact that he didn’t tell me he loved me, too, was glaringly obvious. I guess he thought it might push Brandie too far. I think I need to keep up the drama between them, and I excitedly spoke as we headed downstairs.

“Is it jewelry, Nolan? Oh, I hope it is. You haven’t bought me jewelry since we got engaged,” I cooed as we arrived on the first floor. I made sure my voice carried just enough for the people around us to hear. I wasn’t loud, but my words had the effect I wanted.

“Nolan, why haven’t you treated your new bride well? You are still in the honeymoon phase of marriage. She always treats you well,” one of his friends said as he walked over. “I see you found her. I’ve never seen you so worried about anyone when you couldn’t find her earlier.”